Date Created: April 5, 2000
B. Joyce Stallworth
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Young Adult Novel Annotations Developed by Pre-Service Teachers enrolled in To reach annotations completed during the 2000 Fall Semester, click here. |
Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Awards: 1996 Newbery Honor Book, 1996 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, A 1996 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, An ALA Notable Children’s Book, An IRA Young Adults’ Choice, A Booklists 25 Top Black History Picks for Youth, The Jane Addams Peace Award Honor Book, An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, Bank Street Child Study Association, A New York Times Book Review Best Book, A Publishers Weekly Best Book, A Horn Book Fanfare, A Bulletin Blue Ribbon, A Golden Kite Award for Fiction Winner of the California Young Reader Medal
Publisher and Date: Bantam Doubleday Dell/ 210 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Censorship Issues: language
Main Characters:
Kenny Watson
Byron Watson
Joetta Watson
Kenny, Byron, and Joetta’s Mom and Dad
Brief Summary:
The story takes place in Flint, Michigan in the 1960’s. The story explores the life of the "weird" Watsons through the youngest son, Kenny. The first part of the book consists of Kenny telling stories of his family’s ordeals with his older brother, Byron. The Watson’s experience many problems with Byron as he becomes a teenager. During this struggle between Byron and his parents, they decide to take a trip to see Mrs. Watson’s mother in Birmingham, Alabama. Byron’s mom believes that he can be straightened out if he spends the summer with his grandmother. The Watson’s also believe that he will do better if he is away from the bad influence of his friends. Although, when they get to Birmingham, the Watsons find the south a very discriminatory. They experience an event based on the Birmingham church bombing. Their lives will be forever changed by this event.
Classroom Usage:
I believe this book would be a great read for seventh- ninth graders. It would be a book to use in a Civil Rights unit. It shows many of the ordeals blacks had to go through during this time. It also shows the difference between the northern and the southern treatment of blacks during that time period. This book would be useful as a whole-class assignment. I believe a whole-class teaching would benefit students. It would also be useful in an interdisciplinary unit with a history class.
Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed this book very much. I have never laughed as hard when Kenny describes some of the experience he and his siblings go through. This would defiantly be a great book for reluctant readers. I believe I read the book in a couple of hours because I couldn’t put it down. The characters are so real that I began to believe they were real people. The events could very easily have occurred during this time period. I would recommend this book to everyone and every age group.
Reviewed by: Jenny Bradley
Title: Tangerine
Author: Edward Bloor
Publisher and Date: Scholastic Inc., 1997
Awards: ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults; An American Bestseller Pick of the List; Horn Book Fanfare Book; NYPL "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"; The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
Interest level: 12 and up
Themes: Identity, Trust, and Family Relationships
Main Characters: Paul Fisher, Erik Fisher, Tino, Theresa, Luis, and Mr. and Mrs. Fisher
Setting: Tangerine, Florida
Plot Summary:
Paul Fisher is in the seventh grade. His family has just moved to Tangerine, Florida because his father received a job promotion. Paul is considered legally blind and has to wear extremely thick glasses to be able to see. He thinks his football star brother, Erik, had something to do with his eyesight but he is not sure why yet. Paul is also puzzled as to why the town’s underground fires engulf the land, why a sinkhole swallows his school, and why lightening strikes the practice field at his school everyday. When Paul changes schools and transfers to the tougher Windsor Junior High School he joins the soccer team, which is his sport, and here he finds true friendship.
Classroom Uses:
Tangerine is an excellent choice for a classroom assignment. It deals with many different issues that could be discussed through various activities such as: journals, group work, and different kinds of writing projects.
Personal Reflection:
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was interesting because I have never read anything dealing with sinkholes and underground fires and things of this nature. I loved the main character Paul also because, as you read, you can see him becoming a stronger person. I also liked this book because it dealt with issues like having a disability, interracial friendships, and the acceptance of different ethnic groups. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading.
Reviewed by: Susie Winter
Title: Slam!
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Awards: Praised by Kirkus Review, Booklist-boxed preview, and Publishers Weekly
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 7th, 8th, or 9th grades
Themes: Struggle, Growing, Maturing, Working together-forming a TEAM (together-everyone-achieves-miracles), Close relationships, Drugs and how they affect others, Family, Growing up in a stressed society, Making Decisions, Putting trust within yourself
Main Characters: Greg (Slam) Harris, Ice, Mtisha
Censorship Issues: Content contains sexual innuendoes, References of drug abuse, Mention of gang relations---Overall the novel is appropriate for secondary students
Summary:
The protagonist of this novel is Greg (Slam) Harris. He is a seventeen-year-old talented African-American basketball player growing up on the rough streets of Harlem. He copes with a lot of life’s challenges on the basketball court. Slam is faced with pressures of drugs, sex, and gangs. He is also failing several of his subjects in school. In addition, his father has a drinking problem, many think that he has a bad attitude (especially on the basketball court), and his grandmother is in the hospital with a deathly tumor. To make situations worse, he is trying to look after his best friend, Ice, who may be getting involved with the drug scene.
Throughout the novel, the reader gets a sense of what life is like for Slam. He has many internal conflicts. He decides that he must make some changes in his life to make his situation better. He also realizes that he cannot save the world but he can make his own life more worthwhile.
Classroom Uses:
This book would be great for a thematic unit on maturity. It could be used as the center of the unit with other materials related to the theme. I would also use the dialect as an activity. I would give my students excerpts from the novel and have them transform the slang into Standard American English. Teachers could also practice letter writing with this novel. Students could write letters to Slam to help him with his problems. This would teach students how to write formal letters, informal letters, and memos. These activities would also help students make connections with Slam.
Reflection:
I liked reading this novel. However, I do think that the male species would enjoy it more. The novel touches on some very important issues that many teens, male or female, face in modern society (sex, drugs etc). Moreover, I think that secondary students could appreciate and relate to the use of contemporary dialect or slang. This novel could also encourage and help students set life goals. Many could identify with Slam and how he goes about determining the solution to his problems. This novel is very realistic. At the end, Slam does change for the better, but everyone does not fall into place and "live happily ever after." I believe that teens would enjoy walking with Slam through his small journey leading to maturity.
Reviewed by: Alison Kimbrell
Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Genre: Historical fiction
Awards:
A 1996 Newbery Honor Book
A 1996 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
An ALA Top Ten Best Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
An IRA Young Adults’ Choice
The Jane Addams Peace Award honor Book
A Booklist 25 Top Black History Picks for Youth
An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
Bank Street Child Study Association Children’s Book Award
A New York Times Book Review Best Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book
A Horn Book Fanfare
A Bulletin Blue Ribbon
A Gold Kite Award for Fiction
Winner of the California Young Reader Medal
Brief Summary:
Ah, the Weird Watsons . . . a delightful family whose sense of humor, often hilariously, carries them through the best and worst of times. The year is 1963, and the winter is bitter in Flint, Michigan. Mom, the only non-native of Michigan in the family, longs for home in Birmingham, Alabama, where the winters were never like this. Ten-year-old Kenny relates the adventures including buddies, bullies, and the "Brown Bomber" that lead the family to Grandma Sands in the incendiary heat of that infamous Birmingham summer.
Kenny is the middle child in the family, with thirteen-year-old "Mr. Cool" Byron for a torturous big brother, and tenderhearted sprite Joetta for an endearing (if tattling) little sister. Not only does Kenny narrate the experiences all around him, he is the family member who most personally, and devastatingly, experiences the effects of that tragic September 19 day. Dad, Daniel, guides the family with a sure and humorous hand. His humor diffuses the most difficult of situations and charms the rest. Falling under his spell is Moma, Wilona. Wilona holds her own with Dad, and her determined sense of organization and his spontaneity provide a delightful balance between them. The two are devoted to each other, and use that bond to wield the responsibilities of growing children, two of whom are beginning that most daunting of stages, adolescence. Byron, the thirteen-year-old, is referred to as an "official juvenile delinquent." His "delinquency" not only tortures Kenny but is a major in the family’s pilgrimage to Grandma’s. At Grandma’s it is hoped that he will benefit from a dose of her amazingly effective attitude-adjustment methods. Little sister Joetta may be young and tenderhearted, but she is a little woman with a mind of her own. She sounds like she might be a lot like her tiny, tough-minded Grandma.
Classroom Uses:
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 could be used in the classroom for a variety of purposes. It could be used as an excellent tool to show how the horrific bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church affected very real families whose lives were totally altered on that day. This type of literature is a wonderful example of literature’s being able to broaden the historical significance of an event. While effective year round, it might be particularly compelling to use on the anniversary date of the bombing, as well as during Black History Month. Adolescents also could relate to other elements of the book. This book shows how some of the universal knocks of growing up haven’t changed much in the past 30 or 40 years. Also, the Watsons are a family to whom many culturally and economically diverse groups could relate. One major message across the board could be that using humor to navigate through an array of life’s experiences could add a certain objectivity, resilience, and joy to those experiences.
Personal Reflection:
I laughed out loud, cried, and laughed again as I read this book. I particularly loved the detail Curtis used and got a kick out the memories some of those details evoked, such as his descriptions of the Buster Brown stickers found on the inside of their shoes.
Also, I will never forget that day in 1963. I grew up in Birmingham and was about to turn 12 years old that September. Our church service was closing, when someone brought a note to the pastor. He looked very disturbed and asked us to be seated. When he read the unbelievable news of the bombing and called us all to prayer, I remember the sense of horror I felt, and to this day I cannot imagine such a depth of malice or cruelty. After reading this book, I realized that each of the little girls who died was someone’s Joetta. These four girls were no longer only tragic figures but somebody’s sister, child, cousin, friend, student, neighbor, or grandchild.
Just as Christ taught in parables, I think literature like this is effective in much the same way. There is a power to storytelling that far transcends any sermon or lecture. Stories like these respect the intellect and encourage multifaceted moral responses instead of hitting the reader over the head with only one, narrowly defined lesson. The Watsons Go to Birmingham blended the humor and pathos of life in a powerful yet endearing way.
Reviewed by: Allen Gamel
Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1993; 180 pages
Awards:
Newbery Medal
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Boo
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book for Children
Level: 11+ (not above 9th grade)
Questionable Issues:
Puberty & Murder (Euthanasia)
Themes:
The Negative aspects of a Utopian Society
Human emotion & memory
Main Characters:
Jonas (12 year old boy, the receiver of memories of the past)
The Giver (old man, knowledge container)
Synopsis:
In a society formed around the idea of "sameness", a boy is raised to obey strict daily rules, which eliminate any type of individual thought. The society is structured so that the "pains" of life experience are nonexistent and unknown. Unfortunately, to eliminate the pain in life, the society leaders must make all the choices for all people, thus eliminating the possibility of incorrect, and possibly painful, decisions. Individuality and freedom of choice are unknown in this society, but completely unmissed.
When Jonas reaches the age of twelve, he is given his life assignment. He is to be the receiver of all the memories of the past. In order to ensure that the community does not have to face emotions and pain that they have never encountered, the receiver must hold all the memories of past generations in his own mind. While uncovering the memories of the past he discovers the way the society deals with individuals who do not fit the dictated normalcy. Euthanasia becomes an understood evil to Jonas only after receiving memories of pain, both mental and physical. In order to stop the killing of innocent children and the elderly, Jonas must make the rest of society understand basic human emotions. To accomplish this, Jonas must leave the community and allow his received memories to become accessible to the rest of the society.
Classroom Usage:
This novel could be used in conjunction with Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia. It may also be used in a thematic unit on personal freedom, individuality, or euthanasia. This novel should be geared for the middle school level if used with an entire class, but could be read by individuals at upper levels.
Personal Reaction:
While I was interested by the story and its similarities to Moore’s, I felt it unworthy of classroom use, except at the lowest of levels. While I feel it might be enjoyed by students for individual book reports or extra credit, and I feel that it would evoke student discussion, I would not assign this for a class as I feel that it is too simplistic and does not challenge students.
Reviewed by: Amy S. Lively
Title: Like Sisters on the Homefront
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
Publisher: Lodestar Books, 1995
Awards: Coretta Scott King Book Award
Main Characters: Gayle, Uncle Luther, Great-Grandmother ("Great"), and Cookie
Censorship Issues: Teen Pregnancy, Abortion, and Profanity
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Brief Plot:
This is a coming of age novel set in Queens, New York and Columbus, Georgia. Gayle, a fourteen-year-old African-American single mother, is pregnant with her second child, much to her mother’s dissatisfaction. Ruth, Gayle’s mother, tired and extremely frustrated by her daughter’s behavior, forces her daughter to have an abortion. Neither the abortion nor her mother’s disappointment shakes Gayle. After Ruth’s frustration exceeds her limitation, she sends Gayle to live with her strict Uncle, Reverend Luther Gates. The world in Columbus is like nothing Gayle has ever known. She must raise her child solely by herself, taking full responsibility of her actions. During her stay with her Uncle, Gayle develops a special relationship with her Great-Grandmother, whom she calls Great. Great teaches Gayle tough love and gives her a sense of self. It is through this relationship that Gayle matures and understands the real meaning of family.
Classroom Usage:
I would recommend this young adult novel to mature readers at the upper secondary level because it deals with issues that many young people face daily. It is scary, but true that many young girls face the same trials that Gayle faced. The censorship issues in this novel call for a mature, adult attitude. This novel could be used as a free choice selection rather than a novel read by the entire class.
Personal Comments:
I enjoyed reading this book from page one because the action began immediately. I found myself wanting to read this novel in order to see what Gayle would do next. This subject matter is controversial, but it is not unrealistic. The novel shows how people can overcome adversity and grow stronger because of it. Gayle proved that through tough love and family, anything is possible. This book encompasses many issues facing today’s young people. Rita Williams-Garcia does an excellent job with her vivid writing, as she paints a picture of Gayle’s life and her struggle to find overcome her mistakes.
Reviewed by: Ashley Holmes
Title: Out of the Dust
Author: Karen Hesse
Awards: 1998 Newbery Award, Scott O’Dell Award, ALA Notable Children’s Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, School Library Journal Best, Book of the Year, Booklist Editors’ Choice, Book Links "Lasting Connection," Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection
Publisher: Scholastic
Length: 227 pages
Interest Level: 6th grade and above
Genre: Poetry
Themes: Family Life, Life on a Farm
Brief Summary:
The book is set during the 1930’s in the dustbowl of Oklahoma, we begin with Billie Jo telling us the story of her birth and from there we are invited in to learn more about Billie Jo’s journey through life and her struggles with the rain and dust, the death of her mother and baby brother due to an accident where she also loses the use of her hands, as well as her up and down relationship with her father. Throughout her struggles in life in the end she finally comes to a peace between herself and her emotions and finds happiness.
Personal Reflection:
I truly enjoyed this book. It was a very quick partly due to the fact that it was written in free poetic verse. Each event in her life was broken down into its own poem with its own important theme. This would be a great book to present to the reluctant reader as well as a wonderful tool to use in teaching lessons on poetry; each poem can not only be looked at as part of a series but also as an individual poem that could be studied on it own.
Reviewed by: Christi D. Cornelius
Title: Whirligig
Author: Paul Fleischman
Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf Books
Length: 133 pages
Interest Level: 16 and up
Awards:
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Booklist Editor’s Choice
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Publisher’s Weekly Best Book
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Main Characters:
Brent Bishop
Lea Zamora's mother
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Censorship Issues: Alcohol Consumption
Themes: Growing Up, Cultural Diversity, Identity, Death, Suicide, Responsibility, Guilt, Retribution, Penance
Brief Summary:
Brent Bishop, a sixteen-year old Puerto Rican, is new to his school in Chicago. Before going to a party with his friend Jonathan, Brent plans to talk to Brianna, a girl he has a crush on in school. However, when Brianna rejects his advances at the party and embarrasses him in front of everyone, Brent feels that he has no reason to go on living. In his attempt to escape humiliation at the party and emptiness in his life, he tries to kill himself in a car crash.
His attempt is unsuccessful. Brent does not kill himself. He kills Lea Zamora, an eighteen-year old Filipino girl, who accidentally crosses his path. After Brent is charged with DUI and manslaughter, Lea’s mother asks Brent to make four whirligigs of a girl that looks like Lea, put her name on them, and set them up in Washington, California, Florida, and Maine—the four corners of the United States. Mrs. Zamora believes that these whirligigs will allow people all over the country to receive joy from Lea even though she is gone. She explains to Brent how Lea loved whirligigs as a child and how he can keep Lea’s spirit alive by making the whirligigs.
Personal Reflection and Classroom Use:
This is a very powerful story of a young boy’s journey and rediscovery of his own love for life. Through Brent’s memorialization of Lea, he realizes how people come together, like the pieces he uses to make the whirligigs, to affect each other’s lives in unexpected ways. Whirligigs refer to anything that continuously whirls, like a child’s toy. I think that in this book whirligigs symbolize change and Brent’s realization that his life continues to go on although Brianna rejects him, he does not fit in at school, and he has murdered an innocent girl.
I personally enjoyed this story, but I am not sure if I would use this book for whole class reading. However, if I did, I would use it in a unit on identity or death. Students could make whirligigs of themselves as an activity to go along with reading this book. There are also numerous important themes and issues for discussion. Although the plot of the story is a bit disturbing, I believe that students will be able to identify with some of Brent’s feelings, which will allow them to learn from Brent’s life altering experiences and his miraculous growth throughout the course of this book.
Reviewed by: Emily Barfield
Title: The Last Mission
Author: Harry Mazer
Length: 188 pages
Interest Level: 9th grade and up
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Coming of Age, Peer Relationships, Lost Love/Parental Love
Brief Summary:
This particular book deals with a young man’s struggle to find himself in a chaotic world. As WWII rages across Europe, Jack Raab leaves home in an attempt to make himself a hero. His dreams of extinguishing Hitler’s domination over the world lead him to take drastic and foolish measures. Since he is not of legal age required to join the military, he uses his wits in an attempt to fulfill his dream. His intense passion leads him away from everything familiar to him, his home, his family, and his childhood.
After successfully joining the Air Corps, Jack and his crew are trained to run bombing missions over various parts of Europe. However, twenty-four missions in, Jack’s dreams go terribly wrong. His plane is shot down by enemy fire, and only he and one other man survive. He witnesses the only family he now knows perish, along with his visions of being a hero. It is Jack that will need to be rescued. German POW camp makes Jack realize how foolish his actions truly were.
Luckily, the war ends and Jack is returned to the U.S. No longer caring to be a hero, Jack reveals his secret lie in an attempt to be discharged from the military. Jack is willing to face court-marshal, in hopes of once again standing face-to-face with his family. After so much pain and so much suffering, he is finally returned home to his family…and they regard him as a hero.
Classroom Uses and Comments:
This book has several classroom uses. It could be used in conjunction with a theme on "Coming of Age" or "Finding One’s True Self." Young men from 13-18 should be able to relate to these themes. And although there is only a small love interest in the text, young women from 13-18 would enjoy this book as well. Women have the compassionate heart necessary to fully understand Jack’s inner struggles.
This book falls under the category of Realistic Fiction. It is told in a manner that would lead the reader to believe the story as truth, but indeed it is not.
Harry Mazer is an acclaimed author with numerous novels to his credit, including Snow Bound, Who is Eddie Leonard? (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults), The Island Keeper, and Someone’s Mother Is Missing. He and his wife, novelist Normal Fox Mazer, are the authors of The Solid Gold Kid (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an IRA-CBC Children’s Choice) and Bright Days, Stupid Nights. Harry Mazer is also the editor of the short story anthology Twelve Shots (an ALA Quick Pick), for which he wrote the story "Until the Day He Died." The Last Mission was named Best Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review and is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Personal Reflection:
I found the profanity in the book to be a little jarring. Although there is not a tremendous amount of cuss words, there are some. Students should be warned in advance of the strong language. Overall, I enjoy the book. It flowed quite well and the story is beautifully written. The Last Mission is a wonderful example of fine young adult literature.
Reviewed by: John D. Calhoun
Title: Like Sisters on the Homefront
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
Publisher: Lodestar Books
Length: 165 pages
Interest Level: Ages 14 and up
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Censorship Issues: Teen Pregnancy, Abortion, Profanity
Themes: Family, Troubled Youth, Teen Motherhood, and Friendship
Brief Summary:
Fourteen-year-old Gayle Whitaker is a perfect example of a troubled youth. She has a seven-month-old son who was fathered by a married man. When she becomes pregnant again by a different man, Gayle’s mother draws the line. Gayle is forced to have an abortion even though she wants to keep the baby in order to keep the father. Then after only minimal recovery time, her mother sends her down south to live with her aunt and uncle. Gayle immediately misses her friends in New York City and soon learns that life with a minister’s family requires discipline and hard work, two things Gayle has never been good at.
However, upon getting to know her great-grandmother, who the family calls Great, Gayle slowly begins to understand that there is more to life that hanging out, sex, and cigarettes. In fact, she learns that she has a special gift that makes her very important to her entire family. Gayle also begins to develop a friendship with her church-going cousin, Cookie. It is through this relationship that Gayle learns what it really means to be a friend. In the end, Gayle gains an understanding of motherhood, family, Christianity and friendship. She also learns to appreciate the value of education. Through these things, Gayle discovered herself.
Classroom Uses:
Like Sisters on the Homefront is a fictionalized account of the real issues facing many teens today. Much of the language is sexually explicit, and the situations presented in the book would not be appropriate school reading for all young adults. However, for students experiencing many of the same situations as Gayle, the book could offer a great deal of hope. While the book could be used in thematic units dealing with family and friendship, the classroom uses of Like Sisters on the Homefront would be very limited due to the controversial content.
Personal Reflection:
I believe that Rita Williams-Garcia does an excellent job of portraying a troubled teen. The main character, Gayle, is someone that I believe many teens could relate to. However, I must admit that I would not be comfortable presenting and discussing this book with a young class. If a teacher would like to incorporate Like Sisters on the Homefront into the classroom, perhaps it would be best to obtain parental approval. Even though the book may not easily be incorporated into the classroom, it gives teachers and all adults a glimpse into the mind of a troubled teen, which is infinitely valuable.
Reviewed by: Kelly Tucker
Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Length: 198 pages
Interest Level: Ages 13 and up
Awards: Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Growing up, Prejudice, Identity, Family Relationships, Isolation, Rape, and Survival
Brief Summary:
In one night, with the touch of a button, Melinda went from having friends, goals, and happy teenage life, to having nothing. Her dreams were shattered in an instant. How can a person be ruined so quickly? Her "ex-friends" won’t speak to her. They hate her. They hate her because she called the cops last summer at a high school party. No one asks why she did it. They simply despise her for it. Melinda enters high school alone. She struggles with her "secret" the entire year. She feels that no one will understand her, much less believe her. Slowly, she begins to fade into non-existence. She stops talking at school, as well as at home. Her grades begin to suffer. The only class that she enjoys attending is art. Her assignment for the year is a tree. She is to make her tree come alive. This is a problem for Melinda because there is no life inside of her to give to the tree. Therefore, she struggles with the tree the entire year as she struggles with her inner self. Toward the end of the novel, she begins to return somewhat to her "normal self". She tries to do well in her classes, and really begins putting her efforts in her tree. The turning point of the novel, however, is when Melinda discovers that her "ex- best friend" Rachael is dating a boy named Andy Evans. Throughout the novel, Melinda has referred to him as "It". She realizes at this point that her secret must be revealed. The end of the novel focuses on Melinda’s journey on the road to recovery from rape, isolation, and family problems.
Classroom Uses and Comments:
This novel addresses many issues that teens face today. Basically, Melinda becomes an outcast as a result of being raped. She has no one to turn to with her problem. All of her friends have abandoned her, her parents are too busy to talk to her, and the guidance counselor is a "joke". Melinda learns to survive this tragedy partially through art (not to mention Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, who is very supportive of her), and also through making the decision to reveal and learn to accept her terrible secret.
Speak is a first person narrative, is relatively easy to read, and contains a strong message. The text is written from Melinda’s point of view, and has a good deal of slang, in which young adults tend to relate. I would recommend this novel to teens of all ages. I honestly believe that everyone who reads this novel will be able to relate to it in one aspect or another, being that it deals with a variety of social, emotional, and physical issues.
Reviewed by: Amanda Powell
Title: Ironman
Author: Chris Crutcher
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1995
Length: 228 pages
Interest Level: Ages 15 and above
Awards: ALA Award
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Related Topics: athletic training and competition, disruptive students, father/son relationships, peer relationships, racism, abuse
Brief Summary:
Chris Crutcher's Ironman is a fictional journal collection written by our narrator, Beauregard Browser, to his idol, talk show host Larry King. Beauregard, referred to as Bo, is an athlete whose frequent altercations get him into serious trouble at school and home. Disgruntled with his football coach during a practice, Bo quits the team. After an altercation with his former coach, who is also his senior English teacher, Bo makes a vulgar remark during class. To avoid his suspension, Bo is sent to Mr. Nakatani's (nicknamed Mr. Nak) Anger Management class, a depository for the school's worst juvenile delinquents.
Distressed that he has to attend the '"weird" class, Bo is a distraction to the already difficult class. Mr. Nak wisely gets Bo involved in conversations, which gives him an identity within the class. Bo, along with classmates Elvis, Shuja, and Shelly, his love interest, express their frustrations with the outside world to each other. Bo learns the terrible conditions the others endure, which include physical and mental abuse.
Meanwhile, problems with his father only get worse. After his mother and father's divorce, Bo resented his father for "leaving the family." Thereby, the two lack a mature father/son relationship. The only happiness in Bo's life comes from training for the Yukon Jack Triathlon, an Ironman event where Bo competes against college triathletes and Ironman professionals with far more experience. Training spurs Bo’s relationship with Shelly, an athletic young lady who wants to become an American Gladiator. Unfortunately, Shelly is very competitive—she becomes volatile when things do not go her way. Ironman concludes at the Yukon Jack competition. Bo, cheered on by members of the Anger Management class, finished within the top half of the racers, beating a number of older triathletes with more experience.
Classroom Uses and Comments:
Bo grows up during this piece, altering his feelings on homosexuality, combativeness, peers, prejudice, and his father’s abandonment. This is a wonderful piece that would appeal not only to adolescent men, but also to any young adult who appreciates the physiological and psychological issues that coincide with growing up. My concern is that Ironman uses profanity and includes serious subjects such as rape and homosexuality. I would not recommend this novel to students below age 15. Nevertheless, the subjects and language use are what I would expect from a young adult.
Personal Reflection
I decided to read this novel because I wanted to read something from a different genre--something I would not read otherwise. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the novel. I do not appreciate excessive profanity and such strong topics in my reading. I enjoy pieces that uplift me and challenge me. I spent most of my reading time worrying about the novel's content. Yet, the novel obviously has impressed other students and educators; my dissatisfaction, solely due to the language, may be a position not shared by many.
Reviewed by: Margarite Lewis
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J.K.Rowling
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Length: 309 Pages
Interest Level: Ages 7-104
Awards: National Book Award (UK), over 6 months on the New York Times Bestseller List, Cited as one of the best books of 1998 by Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist.
Genre: Fantasy
Censorship Issues: Magic and Fantasy
Brief Summary:
Harry Potter is a small, skinny, bespectacled, ordinary boy. At least he is until he reaches his eleventh birthday. Harry begins receiving letters, strange letters from unusual people and magical places. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has invited him to study and learn with them. As it turns out, Harry Potter is the most famous of all wizards and he doesn’t even know it! This adventure by first time author J.K. Rowling is fabulous! I literally couldn’t put it down. The characters came alive right in front of me; good and evil battled. Harry and his array of misfit friends take on the evil Voldemort, a.k.a. You-know-Who. They not only learn about witchcraft and wizardry at Hogwarts, but also about friendship and family, loyalty and fear, and about the past and the future.
Comments:
Harry Potter books have been challenged in at least 13 states, according to the American Library Association. The Zeeland, Michigan school district has banned read alouds, removed them from displays in libraries, and required parental permission to check out the books or use them for book reports. The ALA also reported that more people demanded the removal of Harry Potter from classrooms, school libraries, and reading lists than any other book in 1999. These are serious issues that should be addressed. I believe that these books are worth fighting for. Harry Potter is a character to which kids can relate.
Reviewed by: Melia G. Peden
Author: Edward Bloor
Publisher and Date: Scholastic Inc., 1997
Awards: ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults; An American Bestseller Pick of the List; Horn Book Fanfare Book; NYPL "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"; The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
Interest level: 12 and up
Themes: identity, trust, and family relationships
Main Characters: Paul Fisher, Erik Fisher, Tino, Theresa, Luis, and Mr. and Mrs. Fisher
Setting: Tangerine, Florida
Brief Summary:
Paul Fisher is in the seventh grade. His family has just moved to Tangerine, Florida because his father received a job promotion. Paul is considered legally blind and has to wear extremely thick glasses to be able to see. He thinks his football star brother, Erik, had something to do with his eyesight but he is not sure why yet. Paul is also puzzled as to why the town’s underground fires engulf the land, why a sinkhole swallows his school, and why lightening strikes the practice field at his school everyday. When Paul changes schools and transfers to the tougher Windsor Junior High School he joins the soccer team, which is his sport, and here he finds true friendship.
Classroom Uses:
Tangerine is an excellent choice for a classroom assignment. It deals with many different issues that could be discussed through various activities such as: journals, group work, and different kinds of writing projects.
Personal Reflection: I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was interesting because I have never read anything dealing with sinkholes and underground fires and things of this nature. I loved the main character Paul also because, as you read, you can see him becoming a stronger person. I also liked this book because it dealt with issues like having a disability, interracial friendships, and the acceptance of different ethnic groups. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading.
Reviewed by: M. Susie Winter
Title: Rats Saw God
Author: Rob Thomas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Interest Level: Age 15 and up
Censorship issues: Sexual content and reference to drug use
Main Characters:
Steve York
Wanda "Dub" Varner
Doug, Allison,
Sarah York
The Astronaut (Steve and Sarah's father)
Setting: San Diego, California and Houston, Texas
Brief Summary:
Senior Steve York examines the past two years of his life and reflects on what he has learned. His parents are divorced and Steve blames his father, whom he refers to as "the astronaut". Steve finds it easier to blame his father, rather than except that his mother may have had an affair. The summer before his sophomore year, Steve moves with his father to Texas but not by his own choice. Sarah, Steve's sister, stays in San Diego with their mother. Steve does everything in his power not to live up to his father's expectations. During his sophomore year, Steve joins a club called the Grace Order of Dadaist, shortened to GOD. Doug founded the club. The club had no purpose, and Steve was pleased with how his father viewed it. The members of the club have many adventures and fun playing with the adults' minds. Wanda, called "Dub" joins the club and she and Steve begin dating. They lose their virginity to one another. After this, Dub decides that the relationship is too much to deal with and breaks Steve's heart. Steve can no longer face her, so he moves to California to live with his mother and Sarah. It is here that he gets involved in Marijuana use. Steve also meets Allison, a sweet girl who influences him in a positive way. In the end, Steve realizes that his father is not quite as bad as he thought and forgives him.
Classroom Use:
This book touches at some of the emotions that teenagers go through and could be a good learning experience. Rob Thomas does an excellent job of making the book realistic to teens. I think that males and females would find the book interesting. It is very honest and straightforward and I think the students would like that. It would good to use in a unit on family or teen struggles. The students might relate to Steve and his troubles. I recommend that you read it first because the book does contain content that some may deem inappropriate for classroom use.
Personal Reflection:
I really enjoyed this young adult novel. I read it a few years ago and recently re-read it. It is very realistic and honest. I found it entertaining and funny, also. I sympathized with Steve as his heart was breaking. I would recommend this book to anyone. I think that teens could relate to Steve and feel encouraged to know that they are not alone in the terrible time of adolescence.
Reviewed by: Tara Wise
Title: Fragments
Author: Binjamin Wilkomirski
Awards: ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults
Genre: Autobiography/History
Interest Level: 9th-12th
Themes: Overcoming personal struggles, Enduring hardship
Main Characters: Binjamin Wilkomirski (author)
Censorship Issues: Graphic violence, Harsh language
Summary:
In his book, Fragments, Binjamin Wilkomirski recalls his life as a Jewish youngster during the Holocaust. He describes, in vivid detail, the murder of his father by a German war tank and about him and his brothers going to live with a farmer lady. One day, out of the blue, the house came under attack by the Nazi’s and Binjamin hid in the storm shelter. When he finally came out, the lady and his brothers were gone leaving him helpless and alone. Before long, a female Nazi leader arrived at the house and took Binjamin to a place that he would never forget – Majdan Lublin-Majdanek. It was a Jewish concentration camp. For the remainder of the book, Wilkomirski describes in horrifying and explicit detail the torture that he and the other Jews in the camp went through. He talks about everything from the way he and other children played with the guards to the way that they were punished for using the restroom at an incorrect time or place. He also gives a recollection of a brief encounter with his mother. He had never seen her before then and through her tears she gave him a piece of bread, which, to the prisoners, was a valuable resource. The author goes on to talk about his liberation from the facility and being taken in by foster parents. He describes how different life on the outside was and the process that he went through in order to finally develop trust in others.
Reflection and Classroom Uses:
I found this book to be riveting. It gave me a whole new insight, understanding and sympathy for those who spent part of their lives in these horrible concentration camps. This book would be wonderful for a history class to read when studying World War II. It provides explicit detail and explanation of what really went on within the fences of these institutions and the fear and nightmares that lived with the prisoners during their stay and after, if they made it out. I would only recommend it for grades 10 and up due to the graphic pictures that the book paints for the reader and due to some harsh language. One needs to be of a mature state and have sensitivity to the topic since this was truly a difficult book for the author to have to write.
Reviewed By: Brian Williamson
Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher and Date: Frances Foster Books, 1999
Awards:
Newbery Medal
National Book Award
New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Horn Book Fanfare Honor List
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Length: 233 pages
Genre: Folklore, Problem Novel
Interest Level: 6 - 9th Grades
Censorship Issues: None
Themes: Relationships, Abuse, Perseverance, Family Heritage, Mystery
Main Characters:
Stanley Yelnats (Caveman)
Hector Zeroni (Zero)
the other boys at Camp Green Lake
Mr. Sir
Mr. Pendanski
The Warden
Setting: Camp Green Lake, Texas
Brief Summary:
When Stanley Yelnats is sent to a boys' detention center after being falsely accused of stealing a pair of famous sneakers, his life is profoundly changed forever. At this center located at the site of a barren Texas lakebed, Stanley and the other detainees dig holes day after day to ". . . build character." However, Stanley soon learns that their labor has nothing to do with rehabilitating themselves and building character. Rather, they were being used by the administrators to ". . . definitely look for something."
Through a series of flashbacks, readers learn about Stanley's family misfortunes spanning over a hundred years, Zero's curious heritage, and the legend of the infamous "Kissing Kate Barlow." These intertwined stories come full circle at this horrible camp run by ruthless administrators. The story is humorous and tragic; in the end, Stanley and Zero find peace.
Classroom Uses:
I would use parts of the novel for read alouds, but I would not teach it in whole class instruction. I would also recommend the novel to students who enjoy stories about unlikely friendships, struggle, mystery, and legend.
Personal Reflection:
While Sacchar's story is not on my list of the best YA fiction, the novel was worthwhile reading. I enjoyed the flashbacks that filled in the gaps during Stanley's struggle to survive the Texas heat, assorted lizards and bugs, fellow delinquents, and the torturous administrators.
Reviewed by: B. Joyce Stallworth
Date Created: April 5, 2000
B. Joyce Stallworth